The injection that stops you over-eating

A potential new treatment to help obese patients "feel full" has been hailed a success by researchers.

Scientists said that a hormone found in the small intestine had given them a crucial breakthrough in developing drugs to tackle obesity.

Their latest study - published in the journal Diabetes - involved patients being given injections of oxyntomodulin - a naturally occurring digestive hormone found in the small intestine.

The injections boost the body's existing levels of oxyntomodulin, which is normally released from the small intestine as food is consumed, signalling to the brain that the body is full and has had enough to eat.

The researchers, led by Professor Steve Bloom, hoped that injections of the drug would help reduce body weight and calorific intake in those taking part in the study.

A total of 26 volunteers took part in the four-week trial, with 14 given oxyntomodulin jabs and a control group of 12 given saline injections.

The self-administered injections were given three times a day, 30 minutes before each meal.

The researchers found that after four weeks, the group taking oxyntomodulin reduced their weight by an average of 2.3kg - compared to around 0.3kg in the control group.

They also found that the daily energy intake in the test group reduced - by an average of 170 calories after the first injection and 250 calories at the end of the trial.

The recommended daily intake for men is around 2,500 calories, and just under 2,000 for women.

Important step

Professor Bloom, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital, said: "The discovery that oxyntomodulin can be effective in reducing weight could be an important step in tackling the rising levels of obesity in society.

"Not only is it naturally occurring, so has virtually no side effects, it could be ideal for general use as it can be self-administered.

"Despite this, we still need to conduct larger clinical trials to test its effectiveness over longer periods."

Scientists are battling to find medical solutions to the nation's obesity epidemic, with more than half of the UK's adults now overweight or obese.

It is estimated that obesity costs the UK up to £3.7 billion a year in treatment and days lost through sickness.

"Obesity is fast becoming one of the biggest problems in society, affecting huge numbers in the western world, and with the latest figures showing 65 per cent of American adults are overweight we desperately need new solutions," professor Bloom added.

"A reduction of up to 10 per cent in calorific intake would make a huge difference to the overweight, vastly improving their health.

"Obesity is well-known as a major risk factor in all sorts of conditions, including coronary heart disease, cancer, and the development of late onset diabetes."

The study also found that leptin - a protein responsible for regulating the body's energy expenditure - was reduced in the study group.

The researchers also found reduced levels of adipose hormones, which encourage the build-up of adipose tissues - a type of tissue where fat cells are stored.

Professor Bloom has established a spin-out company, called Thiakis, to commercialise the discoveries and run more trials.